Armor Unlimited
by DarkPaladin
Summary: No mere mortals, these warriors... *semi-Shoujo ai and will be rated R later*
1. Prologue

I'm reloading this fic for more people to read, I didn't change too much, yet...

Sorry to keep all those guys and gals in the Starcraft section waiting, but Trigonometry is killing 

my brain cells. That and I was having a hard time trying to figure out what kind of motives their 

characters will have, but I believe I got the majority of them down. So don't fret. Once you are 

down with the story, on the bottom are the characters of the chapter. Baron and Kenyai, you two 

are starting it (sort of). Ellkol, Psycho, Isorku, Makk and Zekk will come in later in the story. So 

if your not in the story yet, you soon will be.

To Wraith. All I can say is this................O.o;;;;;

Warning: This story has a bit of shoujo ai (femaleXfemale relationship) and a bit of Shounen ai. (More shonen than shoujo, if I ever get to it) And don't worry, female readers that want to be apart of this will not be into yuri (unless they inform me of having a very odd relationship, that is.) I only have one pair right now and I am planning to keep it that way...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters with the exception of the main character, the rest are either owned by the creatures of Slayers or fellow authors of Fanfic.net

(Oh, and if the top doesn't make any sense, my most humble apologize.)

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;

And further still at an unearthly height

One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been one acquainted with the night."

-Robert Frost

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Armor Unlimited

By: DarkPaladin

* * * * * *

Prologue

* * * * * *

Down upon the dark woods, somewhere far from civilization, five figures are strolling upon a 

dusty path to somewhere. Three of these figures are wearing warrior outfits, different colors, but 

the same nonetheless. (1) The first looked like he completely shaved his head for some odd 

reason, on his face are a pair of sunglasses, though one would question why he wears them at 

night. The next was a fairly chubby, but muscular fellow, holding a broadax on his shoulder and 

humming to himself some song that is either misheard or misinterpreted, since he doesn't have 

much of a singing voice anyways. The third has to have the most scars over his body, he looked 

almost like he fought his way through Lina, Gourry, and Amelia to get dinner and survived to tell 

about it. The fourth fellow, wearing no armor, instead had on a white shirt and pants, along with 

a red vest and cape over his head. Brown waves of his beard sways as he takes another step, his 

heavy looking bag swaying in tune to his beard. The last, is shadowed from the others. This one 

took his or her stride slowly, trying to keep as far away as possible from the others. He or she 

wore a gray cloak, on their head is a large hat, shadowing the fellow even further. Gloved hands 

holding onto a small duffel bag, and the other hand covering that up. It was apparent this fellow 

did not want to be seen. The only thing that you could see on this person was a massive blade, 

nearly the size of the person, looking more like a giant butcher knife than anything, shining in the 

moonlight just under his or her duffel bag.

"Yo, buddy, hurry up, ya holding us up!!" The bald hero stopped and waited for the creature to 

walk up to him, feeling a bit surprised when he looked down at it. Whoever this person was only 

stood as high as his waist. 

The creature picked its head up, looking strait at him with its cyan eyes. The creature looked like 

a fox, but it had white fur instead of red, and a black furry patch over its left eye. "No need to 

wait up for me..." it said, it's voice very feminine trying to sound masculine. (2) It, no *she* 

held a stone cold look as she passed the shocked hero.

"Uhhh...sorry, miss..." The bald headed hero said, brushing the back of his head nervously. The 

fox didn't reply, she kept on walking. 

The other two heroes raised their eyebrows. The scarred fellow turned to the merchant. "What's 

with the fox?"

"Hmmm?" The merchant looked up. "Oh, don't mind her, she's always been like that. She won't 

talk to anybody she doesn't trust..."

"Trust? How can she not trust three individuals like us?" The chubby fellow stated. "We are..." 

The chubby fellow falls to one knee, one hand in the air, aiming at the stars. The other hand, with 

the broadax, is behind his head like he is about the throw it.

The one with the sunglasses had the same pose as the chubby hero, except he was standing, and 

he stood by the chubby fellows open hand. "The Spectacular..."

The scarred one stood on the chubby hero's other side, facing away and having the same pose as 

the bald headed man. "...The Trio of Solaria!!!" (3)

The chubby one flashed a wicked grin. "I am Frevor!!"

The bald-headed one joined in with his own smile. "I am Cormetz!!"

The scarred one chorused with the other two. "Trevario!!"

The Merchant and the fox sweatdropped.

"You actually trust these guys, Antuio?" The fox questioned, her voice in a gruff growl.

The Merchant shrugged. "Not really, but they were cheap..."

The fox fell over.

"Sorry, old friend, but they were desperate for the job, and I needed a couple of guys to help me 

find the caverns on this map..." Antuio stated, holding a shredded map and pointing an area that 

looked like a forest, no doubt where they were at.

The fox sighed, then turned to move again.

"Hey, what's that!?" Cormetz pointed to an opening in the forest. Trevario and Frevor stood 

from their stances and crept over to the branches that covered the clearing and brushed them 

away. There, in mid-view, was a gap on the side of a hillside. The opening to a cavern.

"I told you they would help..." Antuio told the fox, who huffed a bit as the group of five moved 

themselves towards the entrance of the cavern. They silently peered into the cavern, seeing 

nothing much but darkness. Well, four of them could only see the darkness. "See anything, 

friend?" Antuio asked, looking towards the fox.

She narrowed her eyes to the cave. "Nothing much, but the cave is far deeper than what I could 

see..."

"That's all the information I needed," Antuio replied as he took out a two clubbed sized sticks 

and handed one out to Cormetz. He lit the two clubs on fire, then entered the cavern. 

The group took a few steps into the cavern, seeing nothing but rock around them.

"Wow," Trevario stated in monotone. "What a view, I always wanted to see rock..."

"Be patient, Trevario," Antuio said as he read the map. "Let's see here, 'take forty steps from the 

rock formation shaped in a...ahhhh...pair of breasts?" (4)

The three heroes raised an eyebrow while the fox shook her head. She sneered at the map and 

said, "Who in their right mind would put down a rock formation shaped in a pair of..."

"Look!" Frevor said, pointing out to one clear pair of rocks. The two were right next to each 

other, pushed up from the floor in two perfect mounds. They definitely looked like...

"Breasts..." the fox stated, rolling her eyes. "Men..." She shook her head again as Antuio put a 

hand on the shoulder.

"Now don't get too ballistic yet, if this map is actually correct, we maybe rich before morning..." 

he said, smiling a bit. He stepped over to the 'mounds' and took forty paces ahead of it, pacing 

into another room. The others followed behind closely, trying to stay with him. Then, after he 

stopped, (and after the others nearly ran over him) he took sixteen steps to the right, then eighty 

steps to the left. And finally... "We're here!"

Everyone looked around, none of them looked amused. "There's nothing here, merchant..."

Antuio 'hemmed' and 'hummed' as he looked at the map. "There should be something around 

here..."

"...Wait..." Crometz said, holding out a torch to lighten up a wall. 

There, on the wall, was a golden door. At the mid-point was a slit, the only opening to the door. 

Above the slit were some text that seemed far too ancient for them to read, in the middle of the 

text was a handprint.

"What is that?" Trevario asked, staring at the door.

Frevor stared at it with sparkling eyes. "I don't know, but it maybe worth the trip out here."

Antuio starred at it the same way Frevor did. "It could actually hold the gold that this map lead 

us too..."

The four guys looked at each other, then rushed to the door, trying to open it anyway possible. 

(5) There were no door handles, nor anything to grasp to pull it. Crometz tried using his sword to 

dig at its hinges, but ended up breaking the sword.

"my sword..." he stated, his eyes now full of tears. 

Frevor rubbed his head as he looked over to Antuio. "Maybe we should look before we try to 

open this."

Antuio nodded. "Good idea..." he looked into the slitted opening, but just couldn't see into it. 

"Hey, buddy, couldn't you help us here?"

The fox shrugged as she passed by them and looked into the slit. "I don't see much in there, 

fellas, its too dark even for me to see anything..." The others sighed hopelessly as they slunked 

down into sitting positions. "...Wait!!" They all stood back up and looked at her eagerly. "I 

think I see something!"

"What is it!?" Antuio said, nearly pushing her over. "What is it!?"

"Don't know, can't really tell, but it's close enough, maybe I could..." She reached in slowly, 

squirming her hand, trying to grab onto whatever was inside the door. 

The others looked on, awaiting whatever she was about to get with drool hanging off of their 

mouths. 

Then, all of a sudden..._click!!_

Click?

The foxes' eyes shot wide open as she pulled her hand partially out. The others jumped slightly at 

the sound, but sighed in relief finding that she didn't cry in pain or anything. "Whatever that was 

just barely got me..." She stated, narrowing her eyes as she started to pull out. She stopped for a 

second, with the look of surprise and shock entering her features. She started to pull, then yank, 

then put her feet up on the door to yank again, but her arm wouldn't come out. "Damn!! 

Something did get me!!" 

The three heroes stood straight up and jumped to her side. The merchant looked on intently at his 

friend as she desperately tried to get her arm out of the door. 

"What should we do?" Crometz asked, earning a sharp glare from the fox.

The fox sneered. "What should you do!? Help get my arm out for Ceiphied's sake!!"

Crometz dashed behind her (which looked ridiculous since he was only an arm reach away) a 

grabbed her by the waist. 

Well, not totally by the waist. "Oops, heh, heh..." Crometz let go of one of her breasts. "Sorry..." 

The fox narrowed her eyes, but let it slide as he started to pull with her. Nothing. 

Frevor grabbed onto Crometz's waist and started to pull with them. Still nothing.

Trevario grabbed onto Frevor's waist and started to pull with them. Not even an inch.

"All right," the fox started, panting a bit, feeling kind off tired of being yanked about. "Try one 

more time, then I'll just cut my arm off..." The three looked at her with shocked expressions. 

"Don't try to stop me on this, I don't want to be stuck here forever, all right?"

The others shrugged and Frevor said, "All right. On the count of three, we pull as hard as we all 

can...one…"

"...Two..." Crometz said.

"...Three!!" Trevario cried as they pulled hard enough to where the fox's arm could have come 

out of its socket. Luckily, whatever was holding her either let go or finally pulled through, but 

they all ended up as a piling heap on the cavern floor.

The fox sighed in relief, feeling a little better about not having to cut off her own arm, not that she 

wouldn't do it anyways. She picked herself up, watching the others as they stumbled to their feet. 

"You okay?" the merchant asked to the fox, walking over to her to handle her arm. 

She turned towards him and kept her arm from his reach. "It's okay...I'm fine..."

The merchant didn't looked convinced. "You sure?"

"I'm sure, Antuio, it's not like that hasn't happened before," She turned to hold her arm up. "See, 

nothing's..." She looked at it. "...wrong...with...it..." Her mouth dropped as she saw what 

happened.

Instead of finding a gray leather glove, or a furry paw that she is use to seeing, she found a 

gauntlet covering her arm to the elbow. There was no doubt that it was made of a metal, silver, 

maybe. It had an arrangement of designs all over it, a foreign language maybe, but most probably 

not. The designs ended at the wrist, on each and every knuckle a green jewel was embedded. 

The fox could only stare at it as the others came in to look.

The three heroes ooed and aahed as the merchant lightly touched the gauntlet. "It's beautiful..." 

he murmured, a slight grin touched his face.

Frevor looked at it closely. "Well...It's not gold, but it will be worth quite a bit."

"Yeah," Crometz drooled. "Take the glove off, and let's all take a look at it..."

The fox narrowed her eyes, but then complied. She pulled at the gauntlet, but it wouldn't move. "Oh, Ceiphied..."

"What's the problem now?" Tevario asked exasperated.

She tugged at the glove again. "It doesn't want to come off."

All four guys turned right to her. "What!?"

"It's stuck!!" She yanked at it again. "It won't budge, need any other hint!?"

"Then two of us will just pull at it from your side, and somebody will pull from the other side," 

Trevario stated. He looked at the others, they nodded. The fox seemed reluctant, but then slowly 

nodded.

"Okay." Frevar grabbed onto the gauntlet with Trevario ready to pull at Frevar's waist. This time 

Antuio held onto her waist with Crometz behind him. As they were about to pull, Frevar touched 

the four green gems on the knuckles, something shot out of the gems into Frevar. Frevar flew 

back into Trevario, and landed onto the ground with a thud.

"What the...!?" Crometz cried, letting go of Antuio and trying to help his companions.

"Whoa..." Frevar groaned as he was helped up by Crometz. "What just hit us?"

The fox looked at the glove. "I-I don't know. Whatever happened, you must have did 

something..."

"Why do you say that?" Trevario groaned, feeling a bit flattened by Frevar.

"Because this things getting hot!!" The fox started to scream as the gauntlet glowed a bright teal, 

then went the color turned to a green and got hotter, hot enough to where the other four hand to 

back away from her, feeling sweat pouring down their faces. Then the light engulfed the fox, 

making her transparent to their eyes. Her body drifted into the air like she was possessed. 

Finally, after a large flash, the light from the gauntlet spewed upwards, destroy the cavern roof 

and rising high in the air. It became a pillar of light...

* * * * * *

If you watch Slayers all the time, haven't you noticed every hero wears the same armor? Think of a tomboy and you get the idea. Okay, if you got the idea that the 'mysterious figure' was a female before I told you, then congradulations, I wasn't in a very good mood when I wrote this. Why do I think of a goofy Power Ranger pose here? Don't ask, just please, don't ask... I know, most heroes have a 'code of honor' kind of thing, but I decided to make these three kind of crooked. So... 

This ends the prologue, I originally made it longer than this, but then I realized that I could insert 

the rest of it into the next chapter. Though if you look, I should have the next chapter already up. 

So continue...

To warn you, Zelgadis will not quite show up in this story. He's still wandering around in the 

desert, searching for his cure. However, if you like this story enough when its finished, then I 

prepare the second story, which in mainly on Zelgadis. And Amelia. No Lina or Gourry in the one after...sorry...

To warn you all, this will not be to grand. I don't really have anybody to review my work before I 

place it on Fanfic.net. So ppl here could understand why whenever I hand in a 'Starcraft Outake,' 

it scares the crap out of me that I don't know if anybody likes it. So don't be sarcastic about my writing, I'm doing my best right now trying to put everything that's in my mind onto paper. 

Oh, and for other things: I NEED SOME MORE CHARACTERS. Not as many as before, I need 

more characters that have small parts, but important for their episodes nonetheless. Include the 

following: species (human, mazoku, or dragon) gender (so I can figure this all out) hair color, 

eye color, and maybe even age to end things (Though I may change it to older and such for the 

part, but basically throw it in anyways). I need a lot more females characters for this. So please, 

all you girls out there, please send a review in. I'll try to insert as many as I can, just review and 

write in all of the information.


	2. the seven

Disclaimer: Don't own Slayers or the Cast, I only own my (counts fingers) three characters that 

play in this story. The rest of the unknown cast are fellow authors who asked to be part of the 

story!! Enjoy!

Part 1: The Game Begins

* * * * * *

Out in the darkness of the night, a man brushes a branch away, leading a group of other men, far 

shorter than he. The man ahead of everyone else was a mountain of a man, reaching a height that 

is nearly impossible to reach, though not tall enough to be a giant. His dark blue eyes and black 

hair were shaded in the night, making it almost impossible to see him. (since he wore a cloak that 

was just as dark as his eyes and hair) The creatures behind him all wore black robes, their eyes 

slitted like a snake or lizard and their faces covered in dark masks. They all held onto the hilt of 

their sabers, ready for any type of attack. 

Suddenly, a bright light of a green hue burst out from the darkness ahead of them, lighting the 

area and confirming that the creatures behind the giant were indeed there. (1) The giant looked 

up at the flashing light and narrowed his eyes.

"Damn," he said, his voice lower than any baritone that was heard before. Almost a dark tone to 

it. He sneered at the light, almost as if it were his most unwelcome of enemies.

One of the dark creatures stepped forward, towards the large man. "What is the trouble, master?" 

it hissed, the voice sounded like a python or any other snake. 

"Someone found the last of the armor," he stated, growling as he stepped towards the light.

Another one of the creatures stepped up to the large man. "What shall we do, master?"

The giant looked down at his men, who all took a step back. "We find this person, and take it 

before the other armor bearers do. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master..." the creatures chorused happily.

The giant smiled lightly as he stepped towards the direction where the light is. "Then come, we 

have a creature to kill..."

* * * * * *

A pair of swords crashed together relentlessly. Two warriors, wearing similar armors (though 

different from the hero's armor) growled at one another as they continued with their brawl, their 

dance of death. Slice, dodge, pary, swing, slice, dodge, pary, swing...the fight continued like 

this for what seemed like hours for them, but only for a few moments in reality. The two circled 

one another, their swords held at the same exact angle, trying to find a weak point that could be 

fatal to the other, but neither could find an advantage. Both narrowed their eyes at each other, but 

that showed the difference. One of the two had green hair that shot downwards, away from his 

face. His green eye dazzled in this moonlight, no doubt he is into the battle. The other, a bit 

larger than the other, had brunette hair, covering his deep blue eyes. The brunette sneered as he 

swung again at the smaller warrior, who, in turn, dodged an swung his blade exactly like the other 

warrior, who dodged as well. The cycle started again as the two warriors swung at each other, 

then parried, then sliced. 

Just as the battle started to get boring, (if there was any audience, I mean) a strange, green light shot 

up into the sky, turning night into day, nearly blinding the two men as they fought. The green haired man 

stopped and gazed longingly at the light ahead of him. The lips on his face contorted into a smile as he 

sheathed his sword. He looked over to the brunette, gave a goofy looking salute, the proceeded to jump 

away from the bigger warrior.

"Hey!!" The brunette growled. "Get back here!! Kenyai!!" He picked out a large knife from his 

belt, and threw it at the green haired man. The man jumped away just as the dagger hit a tree 

nearby. 

The green haired man, Kenyai, smiled evilly at the larger man and waved at him. "I don't have time to play, 

Balliant, maybe next time. I've got some business to attend to..."

* * * * * *

In a room, far away from the forest where the heroes, the merchant, and the fox are, a young 

female sat at a desk, writing something. She cursed, tearing the paper she was writing on and 

threw it across the room. Cursing, she pulled the candle that lit the room closer to her, and drew 

in another shard of paper to write on. She pulled her blond bangs aside, trying to see what she 

was going to write on, her dark eyes narrowed as she started to write something else. For some 

odd reason, she could only write 'Death to all Mazoku' or 'The Dragons will Win the War,' or 

'Zherahl shall kill all Mazoku.' She growled again, shredding that piece of paper and throwing it 

aside. 

There was a flash of light looming from outside her window. The flash caught her eye, and she 

crept to the window to find a green light, zooming into the sky. Her eyes went wide as a smile 

jumped to her face. 

"Finally, the seventh armor!!" the girl cried, her heart skipped as she said this. 

The door opened from the other side of the room, and a man with graying hair and beard entered. 

He turned to girl at the window, a small smile formed on his lips. "I see you got your eyes on it," 

the old man said, looking towards the light. "Are you going to get it now? Or are you going to 

wait for Kenyai or any of the others to get it?"

"Kiemra isn't going to be there," she said, her voice spitting every ounce of hatred when she said 'his' voice.

"I see, so you're not worried?" the older man asked.

The girl shook her head. "Not at all, Kenyai or the others shall take the last armor for their own, 

and with one swipe of my blade, I can gain two pieces of armor in one stroke."

"I see, good plan..." the old man said, smiling as the two watched the light.

The girl nodded, "Now then, Gregory, will you please get me some of the finest wine around 

here? Tonight should be celebrated. After I collect all the pieces of the armor, the Mazoku shall 

not stand a chance."

* * * * * *

Out somewhere (I got to find something else to begin with) in another forest, a man is outside, 

chopping firewood in front of a log cabin. He carefully placed a wood chip on top of a large 

stump. With one swing of the ax he held, he split the wood right in half. He smiled lightly at 

his work, wiping the sweat out of his jet black hair. He cut a few more pieces of wood before 

finding that the pile he had made was fairly large. So, moving the dim light of the lamp back into 

the house, he was about to settle down, when a green pillar of light popped into view through his 

window. His jaw dropped a bit in surprise, but then he turned back into the room with a small 

smile forming on his lips. Slowly, he opened up a chest in the farthest depths of the room and 

pulled out an outfit, totally black except for the crimson linen. Quickly, he dressed himself with 

this outfit, smiling proudly at what he designed. He looked into a mirror beside the chest, making 

sure that he didn't look like a complete goofball, then reached into the chest and pulled out long, 

massive sword. The piece looked like it was entirely made out of silver with the exception of a 

few red jewels that lay around the hilt. 

"It is time..." he said silently. He turned towards the fireplace, which had no form of fire in it, 

and looked at a picture above it. The picture had him, with his arms wrapped around a woman 

with beautiful teal hair and almond eyes. In front of both of them was a little girl, with jet black 

hair like his, and almond eyes like the woman. He touched the picture lightly on both the two 

girls, a sad smile was forced on his face. "It is time, Asuka. Amia. The day I return to this cabin 

will be with the two of you by my side." 

He turned and headed towards the door. "From the day you two first laid upon the earth with a 

tombstone above both your heads, I, Isorku, promised to get you back. And unless I die, I will 

fulfill that promise."

He left the cabin with only five words leaving his mouth: "I will fulfill my promise."

* * * * * *

Another part of the world, somewhere farther away then where the girl hid. There was only 

darkness here, except for two spotlights. In the first spotlight was a man wearing a robe that was 

nothing but different shades of red. His hair was also of a red, spiked up towards the sky. His 

forehead was covered by a massive strip of silver which clawed out into four branches into the 

dark sky. The silver head-band was covered with five black jewels which shimmered in the light. 

His eyes were closed, and his mouth was moving, as if he was saying an unheard language. He 

looked calm, almost beyond relaxed. 

In the other spotlight beside the first man was another, his robes looked identical to the first 

man's, only his was black. His hair was almost exactly like the first man's, only his hair was blue. 

He had no head-piece, instead he had a massive scar that started on the top of his forehead and 

ended at the bridge of his nose. His eyes were closed too, and he was mouthing something out as 

well. 

The man in black stopped his mouthing, his eyes opened to reveal a diamond shaped eye, black as 

the darkness around him. His silent lips contorted into a wicked grin, his body starting to shake a 

bit with excitement. "Did you feel that, brother?"

The second man held his pose, his mouth stopped moving, making him look more like a statue 

than anything else. "I do, Kiemra, I do."

"The last armor..." the dark robed one, Kiemra, said. "I cannot believe it, it's finally been found! 

You know what it means, Psycho?"

The man in red, Psycho, opened his eyes towards the dark one. His eyes, had no form of pupil or 

iris, just a glossy white, an empty white. "It just means that the armor was found, Kiemra. Don't 

be overly excited. We'll get it from whoever has it, so don't be in a hurry."

"Of coarse, brother," Kiemra said, settling down a bit. "I just am eager. It's been awhile since 

we've had any fun around here. And knowing that the seventh man is out there will throw my 

unbeating heart beating again..."

"If you had a heart, that is..." Psycho replied, staring into the darkness. "But from what I can 

sense, the last man is not very powerful. So that only means that Zherahl will be the only one to 

stand in our way."

"Yes, yes, 'our' way...Yes, yes..." Kiemra said, shaking a bit again. Psycho raised an eyebrow, 

but said nothing else.

* * * * * *

Filia Ul Copt sighed as she dragged the pillow off of her face, she really wanted to fall asleep for 

a while, but just couldn't and didn't know why. She sat up from her bed, wondering what kept 

her awake. There was no sound of anything that would wake her, outside the cricket chirps and 

inside the floor creaked, but nothing else. It was almost like a feeling, like something was there 

that would jump out at her any second. Maybe she was a little paranoid, maybe she wasn't, but 

something told her to go to baby Val's room, that there was something there. She groggily got up, 

straightening up her long, golden hair while she was at it, then crept towards Val's room. She 

opened the door to find quite a surprise.

There was the infamous purple haired figure, smiling as he usually did, his eyes closed in the 

cheerful way. He leaned on the side of Val's crib, with the teal haired baby there fully awake and 

happily chirping at the Mazoku's attention. The Masochist gave Val's belly a playful little nudge 

with his index finger, and Val giggled slightly.

"Xelloss..." Filia started, her shoulders bunched up, trying not to attack the Mazoku priest. 

Xelloss pressed his index finger to his lips, silently telling her to hush. He pointed down to Val, 

who gave a little yawn, then rolled into a little ball, falling completely asleep. Xelloss smile 

never faded as he pulled the blanket in Val's crib over Val, then quietly walked out of the room, 

dodging Filia in the hallway, and closed the door. He motioned her towards the kitchen and she 

followed, just as quietly as he did.

She watched the Trickster walk over to the counter and pulled out two cups and a tea bag. "What 

were you doing, Xelloss?" Filia asked.

Xelloss smiled as he poured hot water into a teapot. "What? You question why I try to put Val back to sleep?"

"No...I'm asking to find out why you were there in the first place!!"

"Shhh...It wouldn't be a good thing if you wake Val up right now..." Filia closed her mouth, 

Xelloss could only smile as he watched. "There you go, now can you speak a little more quietly?"

"So what are you here for? And don't tell me 'Sora wa himitsu desu.' "

Xelloss smile grew. "For a dragon that hates my guts, you surely know me well." Filia blushed lightly, 

now just realizing it. "Actually..." Xelloss sat down after he poured himself some tea. (2) "...I just 

wanted to see my all-time favorite dragon..."

Filia shook here head, "You have a liking for dragons, Namagomi?"

Xelloss rolled his eyes, though Filia couldn't see it since they were closed. Ah sarcasm is bliss. 

"Out of all the dragons in the world today, Filia, there is only one, stuck up and proud of it, 

dragon that I would like…" His eyes opened to gaze deeply into Filia's blue eyes. Filia felt her 

already reddened cheeks become a full flush and she looked away from the Mazoku. But that 

didn't last very long...

"Who are you calling a 'stuck up and proud of it,' Namogami?" She sneered, trying to keep her 

voice down. Xelloss could only smile, no matter what he could always irritate her, in anyway 

imaginable. She continued to ramble, trying something to put him down, but couldn't really get a 

good comeback.

"Would you say anything if I said something nice and sweet?"

Filia paused, then inwardly smacked herself. This is Xelloss! He annoys me because he's 

purposely trying to get a rise out of somebody. But...But does that mean he was trying to get a 

rise out of her when he made the 'all-time favorite dragon' bit?

"Want some tea, Filia?"

Filia stared down at Xelloss, who had the normal cheery look on his face. On the table is a cup 

full of hot tea, waiting for her to drink. Xelloss pat gently on the spot at the other side of the 

table, inviting her to sit. Wearily, she sat, taking the cup of tea on her side into her hands. Not 

even once looking away from her arch-nemesis, she slowly lifted the cup to her lips.

"Aww, isn't it wonderful? Having two complete enemies sitting together, drinking tea?" He 

opened an eye to see the glare that Filia gave him. "...Or am I wrong? Are we truly enemies?" 

Filia set her teacup down, her eyebrow raised as his words sunk into her head. Gracefully, 

without shaking even the tea, Xelloss slinked his way onto the table. There, sitting on all fours, 

he placed his face about an inch or two away from Filia's. Filia jumped back into her chair, 

surprised at how fast he did this feat. She felt her cheeks turn hot as she noticed how close he 

was to her, her hands grasping the chair as she felt his lips press to hers. It was a light kiss, but 

enough to numb Filia's mind for a minute or two. When she regained her composure, she jumped 

again to see Xelloss standing next to her, his eyes open, staring longingly into Filia's eyes.

Her mind rattled with confusion (3). First he's tormenting her, then kissing her? What is he up 

to? Was he tricking her? Was he purposely confusing her? Was he telling her he liked her?

She looked into the depths of his eyes, entranced by the diamond shape. His eyes were boring 

through her's, into her soul. She held her breathe as he inched his face towards her again. She 

closed her eyes to capture his lips...

...only to find nothing. Her lips didn't touch a thing. Her eyes snapped open to find Xelloss a 

few feet back, sitting on the floor like he was thrown back by something. One hand held onto his 

chest, the other covering up his forehead. His body was spazing, his head shaking, like he was 

sick, yet, not. 

Filia stood up and reached for him, slowly. Just as she was a touch away, he stopped shaking, 

slightly panting. She touched him, only to jump back as lowered his hand away from his face. 

Xelloss was in a...sweat? His eyes appeared dialated, shaking a second or two before finally 

focusing on her. Filia's eyes widened when she noticed a large green, vein popping out of his 

head. "Xelloss? Y-your head..." she gasped.

Xelloss brushed his hand on his forehead, and an inhuman growl escaped his throat. His eyes 

were narrowed, his nose turned into a sneer. He stood up and walked towards a window, eyes 

focusing on something outside. Filia followed, seeing a green pillar of light shining brightly into 

the night sky.

"Xelloss...?" Filia placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling a little unnerved by Xelloss' reactions 

just a second ago. "What is this pillar of light? You know of it?"

Silence filled the room for what seemed like an eternity for Filia. Finally, Xelloss' voice rang out 

of the silence. "Yes...I have seen this light before. It looks like something ugly is about to 

start...Not good."

Filia turned to Xelloss, surprised that this Mazoku said anything like that.

* * * * * *

Frevar, Trevario, Antuio, and Crometz all stared in fright, watching as the fox hovered in mid-air, 

then watched in amazement as what happened next. As sudden as the light appeared, the light 

dimmed and burst away, leaving only darkness again. The fox fell to the ground with a sickening 

thud and lied still, no trace of life.

Trevario rushed to her side, Crometz not far behind, Antuio joined in, holding her hand, while 

Frevar just stared in stupidity. Trevario pulled his hand over her face. "She's breathing, slightly 

though..." Trevario said, somewhat glad.

"And her hearts beating," Crometz stated, feeling glad as well when he found a pulse.

Antuio looked at Crometz dangerously. "I would remove your hands from that area if I were 

you..."

Crometz blushed slightly and moved his hand from between her breasts. "Just checking for a 

pulse, man, I don't swing well with foxes..."

"I'm happy to hear it," Antuio stated blandly. "I just would keep my hands on her when she 

wakes, or she will kill you..."

The fox twitched slightly. "Will you guys just shut up for a moment!" The two heroes and 

merchant stepped back as she sat up. "Oh, my head..."

"You feelin' okay, buddy?" Antuio held out a hand for the fox. She accepted it and hoisted 

herself up. 

"Thanks." She stretched herself, rotating her arm a bit. "Mind telling me what was the size of the 

critter that just hit me?"

"That wasn't any critter, buddy..." Antuio semi-shocked expression confirmed he wasn't lying. 

The fox rubbed her head, feeling the familiar contact of metal to skin. She looked at her left hand to 

see the gauntlet that had been placed there. She tried pulling at it for a second or two, then turned to 

the others. "Can we try get this thing off again?"

All four men waved their arms in front of them in alarm. "No-No!!" They all said at the same time. 

"Don't try it again!! Don't try it again!!"

The fox narrowed her eyes, then turned away. "Wimps..." She picked up the bag she set down 

awhile ago, then turned to walk out of the cavern. Just as she was about to leave the room, she 

turned to all four of them. "Well? You guys coming or are you all just gonna stand there like 

idiots?"

"B-b-but..." Frevor stammered, now pushing himself out of staring in awe. "What about the hidden 

treasure that was suppose to be around these parts?"

"Yeah, aren't you gonna help us dig out this door?" Crometz asked his head tilted, pointing towards the door.

The fox gave them a have-hearted sigh, pointing towards the door as they did so. The door was 

open, revealing...

...Junk...

...Lots and lots of rusted, worn-down junk. Frevor, Crometz, and Trevario all sweatdropped as 

Antuio dropped to his knees, crying like a child. "Knock it off, Antuio..." The fox started, her 

cheeks pulled up in a sneer. "...I don't think this is the treasure room that the map told of..."

Antuio, cheeks still stained with tears. "B-but the map did lead us to this wall, it has to be this 

place!! I got this map from a very reliable source."

The fox turned around. "Reliable source? Don't tell me it was..."

"Yup, that reliable source!" 

The fox facefaulted. She turned around, grabbing Antuio by the collar and dragged him off. "What 

are you thinking, you freaking baka!! He maybe a friend, but he sends us on too many faulty runs!! 

YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT BY NOW!!!"

"B-b-but he promised..."

The fox gave him a glare that would send a dragon running for the hills. "His promises mean nothing to me..."

"Who are you talking about?" Trevario asked, following the two from a distance. The other heroes weren't far behind.

"The man he's talking about is a liar, a thief, a swindler, though he is a warrior, nonetheless..." 

The fox stated, growling through her gritted teeth. 

"I wouldn't know this fellow, what's his name?" Frevar asked.

The five reached the entrance of the cavern, just as the Fox was about to open her mouth again, 

some foreign object hit the ground right in front of her, blowing her back into the heroes. Antuio 

landed in a sickening heap beside the cavern walls, surprisingly he got up from the crash, dashing 

towards the other four. 

"That was a fireball!" Antuio cried, looking around for any signs of life. "Who the hell threw that!?"

"I don't know..." the fox murmured, standing back up with the heroes close behind. "But whoever did is 

going to pay...dearly..."

The four walked out of the cavern slowly. Crometz bulled out another sword (4) and followed 

beside the fox, with Trevario pulling his sword out in suite with Crometz. Frevar held his battle 

ax with both hands, surprisingly nervous. Well, you probably would feel the same if you had 

nothing but a sword to face a magic user. They reached about a few feet out of the cavern before 

another fireball struck the ground, only this time it didn't hit any of the warriors. 

From the darkened forest came a relatively large man, wearing nothing but black. To put it bluntly, 

the fox thought the guy could be a giant, only giants could grow bigger. Whoever grew this man to 

adulthood must have fed him the right way. From behind this giant, small, shadowy figures popped 

up and scattered around the four warriors. Their eyes were slitted, like a lizard's eyes would. They 

cackled, which sounded more like a low hissing sound. The fox peered up at the giant, who stared 

back at her, his dark blue eyes looking almost through her. 

"Who are you people?" Frevar asked first, looking towards the snake people, wondering which of the 

creatures was more dangerous: the numerous snakemen or the giant.

A voice rumbled through the giants jaw. "I am the Baron of the dead city Theia, a city once loyal 

to the Empire of Elmekia." 

"T-t-the Baron of Theia?" Trevario stated, his voice waving for a second. "Th-that can't be, th-

th-the baron of Theia is only a myth, an old urban legend..."

"I can assure you, I stand here with real blood flowing in my veins." His arms, which looked 

more like tree-trunks, wrapped around each other as he crossed them. "Now I ask you a question, 

who now wears a piece of armor on them that they can't get off? The armor looks as if it's made 

of silver with jewels of a specific color..."

The fox stared blankly at the giant. How did he know about the gauntlet? She only put it on for a 

minute or two. What's the deal here? "You know of this?" She held out her left hand, showing 

the silver gauntlet.

The Baron's mouth grew to a dark smile. "Yes, for you see..." He opened the robe he wore 

slowly, revealing a chestplate, made of the same kind of silver as the gauntlet, littered with white 

jewels. "...I wear a piece of that armor, as you do now..."

The fox stood. "Then you know how to get it off?"

The Baron waved his hand in a 'no-no' kind of manner. "I'm afraid the armor cannot be taken 

off, unless..." He snapped a finger, the serpents replied by unsheathing their blades. "...your 

blood is spilt by my hand."

The three heroes brought the blades up for any sign of attack, but settled again when no one 

moved.

"The bearer of one these armors will lose the armor if they fall to another armor-bearer," The 

Baron explained, the gruffness in his voice now deepened.

"One of these armors...?" the fox asked, her right hand slowly reaching for the hilt of the blade 

tide to her back. 

"There are seven armors, and seven bearers. You, little fox, are the seventh. The seven pieces 

of armor can create a power that can overwhelm this world. The only way to gain the power, 

however, is to wear all seven pieces of the puzzle..."

"I see..." the fox stated, bending her hat downwards. "I'm afraid I must decline on your offer to 

kill me..." She swung the blade from her back and held it out for everyone to see, with one hand. 

"...I hate my life, I've hated it since I was first breathing, but I'm not willing to die for some trivial 

matter over a piece of armor..."

Baron was taken aback, not only by the fact that this fox held a blade that's bigger than her with one 

hand, but her choice of words as well. A fox that hated her own life, but not willing to die for the 

armor...This was no normal fox... "I see...but I will get it, whether I force you or not..."

The four warriors held their places, watching the snakemen, who promptly got into fighting 

stances as well. 

"Bogardic Elm..." the giant calmly commanded, he raised his right hand into the air, the dropping it to the 

ground, touching the earth lightly. Almost instantaneously, the ground underneath the four warriors grew 

wet, making them sink lightly sink underneath the surface. The four panicked for a second...

"Don't panic!" Antuio cried, far from the sidelines. "Bogardic Elm only creates a bog! It's harmless..."

Frevar grumbled a bit. "Yeah, but it will be harder to move now..."

"I think that's why he did it, Frevor..." Crometz mumbled.

The Baron smiled again as he stepped closer. "Now, for the grand finally, "Wind which blows across eternity..."

"Watch out!!" Antuio screamed, jumping up and down as a cheerleader would. "That's a Bram Gush!!

It'll rip you all to shreds!!!!"

"…gather in my hands and become my strength!" The Baron held up his hands, a 

golden-white ball appeared. He threw his hands towards the four warriors. "Bram Gush!!!"

The fox's mind went blank as she watched the power of the Bram Gush blow towards her. 

Quickly, quietly, she placed the sword in front of her, awaiting her fate...

...Which was quietly interrupted by a man with long, teal hair. The man quickly jumped in front 

of her and...somehow...managed to knock away the Bram Gush with his right hand. 

The fox looked up at her savior, finding the man wearing a ridiculous junky piece of armor over 

his thin features. He had a decent blade in his right hand, which was covered up in...

...A silver gauntlet, that looked exactly like hers except that the jewels on his gauntlet were 

orange, not green.

The Baron made a half-hearted growl as he saw the teal-haired man. "Kenyai, damn you...of all 

the people I thought would have shown up, you had to be the one..."

"That's right, Baron, my friend," Kenyai said, having a stupid grin over his face. "I can't let you 

kill this fox here..."

"Whew...and I thought we had more trouble..." Trevario started, but was cut off by the fox. 

"I think he's going after the gauntlet as well, Trevario..." the fox stated, slowly pushing up to the 

three behind her, backing them out of the bog. "I think we should let these two duke it out a bit 

before we attack, okay?" The others nodded as they started for the woods.

"Well, Kenyai, I'm sorry to disappoint your ignorant little mind, but I will get that piece of 

armor long before you even take in a breath..."

"Let's just see who gets the prize, Baron..." Kenyai chuckled, holding his blade high in the air. 

"I'm afraid that our prey is getting away." The Baron pointed to the woods, where the warriors, 

plus Antuio, entered. "Now, now, now. You people can't get away from me!!" He placed his 

middle and pointer fingers to his forehead, then raised his hand high in the air. "ARC BRASS!!"

"Oh Ceiphied," Antuio stuttered. "We can't get away from that, man!"

"Run then! Let's make ourselves harder to hit!!" The fox threw herself towards a patch of forest 

and ran through it like the devil was running after her. She held her hat as she felt something streak 

behind her, blasting a tree to bits. She looked up to see lighting, raining from the sky. "Oh, crap..."

* * * * * *

Three men smiled and laughed as one of them started to bring a hand underneath a girl's skirt. 

The girl, looking young enough to be one of their daughters, huffed and walked away. The other 

two laughed, enjoying the reaction of the young girl. Yes, things seemed pretty normal around 

here. All except for one thing: him. A tall, dark haired man sat at the end of the bar, drinking a 

small amount of rum. He sipped his drink, watching the other folks kid around and smiled as he 

watched the girl growl at the men. His almond eyes glowed a gold hew for a second, then 

returning to its almond color again as he watched people all around him chatter. He never set his 

beer down, not even when he glanced off and on at those people, smiling once and a while when 

he heard something amusing from them. 

One of the serving girls (the one that had her butt pinched) grumbled as she smacked her tray 

against the counter. Everybody except the loner jumped as she did so, then slowly slid away 

from the nerve-wrecked youth. 

"May I ask you to not do that again," the lone man said, his eyes gleaming at the youth. "You 

could have spilt my drink..."

The serving girl shook her head, but her smile showed she was amused. Well, how can you not be 

amused if he said that when all he does his hold his drink. She sat herself beside the countertop, trying 

to rub the headache away. Just as she thought her mind was about to settle: "Hey, wench!! Do you 

work! Getch your cute butt over here and serve us!" one of the three same men spoke, roaring with 

laughter. The girl cringed for a second before feeling a large hand placed over hers. She turned 

half-heartedly to see the stranger, now sitting to a stool right next to her, with two drinks at his 

place on the counter.

"Stay calm," The man spoke nonchalantly, a small smile placed on his lips. "It looks like 

your shift is just about over anyways. Sit down, drink with me..."

The girl gave him a questioning/angry look.

"I didn't drug the drink, nor am I going to get you drunk, I'm just here to get you to relax for 

a second or two." His eyes shined, surprisingly childlike, and the girl could do nothing but sit down, quietly.

"Hey!" another one of the three men spoke from the table.

"What's your name?" the stranger asked non-hastily, passing one of the two drinks to her.

The girl took the drink, looking around for the manager. When she didn't find him there, and 

when she noticed the bartender had his hands full, she turned to take a sip. "K-Kei's my name..." 

She stuttered, sipping her drink some more, then taking a look at the stranger. He wasn't what a 

woman would call a bishonen, he looked somewhat evil, just by the look on his face. His smile 

seemed to edge out to the side of his cheeks, making him look more psychotic than anything. 

And yet, he didn't look too much like a threat at this point.

The stranger's smile only grew. "Kei, a lovely name, I am Drake, and all I can say is you look 

like you need a day off..."

The serving girl, Kei, rolled her eyes. "I just need those three guys over there to stop touching 

me." She points over to them as they start walking over towards her. "Uh-oh."

"Hmmm?" Drake raised an eyebrow.

Kei slowly circled around to him. "They're coming..."

"Who..." was all Drake could get out before he was swiveled around on the stool and sat face to 

face to three of the biggest men that anybody laid eyes on in this little town (5).

"What the hell are you doing, little man!?" one large guy said.

"Yeah, you tryin' ta get our woman!?" another said, slurring through all the missing teeth he had.

"Uh, yeah!?" The last, and probably the least intelligent, agreed.

All the stranger could do was too shake his head a bit, trying to shake the dizziness away. 

"Whoa...make the room stop moving man..." Once the room stopped moving in his mind, he 

looked up at them and blinked. "I'm doing what?"

The first man growled, grabbing Drake by the collar. "Trying to get warm with our woman!"

Drake blinked again, then shrugged and brushed the first big guy's hand away from his collar. 

"I'm not trying anything, so go away..." He turned back to the table and took hold of his glass to 

drink.

The men, however, didn't have enough quite yet. "Hey, he's talking to you!" the second one 

screamed, grabbing onto the stranger's shoulder.

Just as he grabbed onto Drake's shoulder, the glass in his hand suddenly exploded, spraying the 

remnants of the glass everywhere. Everyone but Drake jumped back, shock all covered their 

faces. Drake slowly looked at the remains of the glass, then at his hand, finding no form of 

puncture anywhere. "Wha...is it really..." He turned towards the bar, waving his hand at the 

shelves in back, which promptly exploded as well. A massive smile formed on his lips, a more 

psychotic look now appeared, frightening Kei but pissing the three men off.

"What the hell was that!?" The second man asked in horror.

The first man growled. "What kind of tricks are you pulling here."

The third, after a few moments of 'uhh' and 'ahh,' finally said, "Yeah!"

Drake pulled around, the smile never leaving his face. The three made a double take when they 

saw his eyes, which were not almond, or brown, but gold. A bright, almost sun light gold. "I'm 

not pulling any tricks, gentlemen," he stated calmly, rolling his neck. "I just now found out 

something, something that doesn't concern you."

"Doesn't concern us, huh?" the first man growled, grabbing a blade from his pocket. The second 

pulled out a saber, the third taking out a club. "We'll just see about that..."

"I can't waist any energy on you three, so..." Drake said, opening his trenchcoat pocket and 

pulled out a...

...Minotaur plush toy?

The three looked at him oddly as he looked right at the doll, he looked pretty surprised himself. 

"What? You're going to be with me in this game? I never would have guessed..."

"Why are you talking to the doll?" the third one asked.

The second one started to laugh. "Oh, look, he's got his little plush toy to play with, isn't that sweet?"

The others were starting to laugh as well. "Oh, I wouldn't be laughing right about now." the 

three stopped as they looked at the strange man. "He only arrives like this, I just need to summon 

him." He set the plushy down on the floor, then backed up. "Isn't that right, Dark Threat?"

As the words left his mouth, the plush grew to a beast twice the size of the three men. Wings 

ripped out of its back and rose high above its head, bringing down the ceiling as it did so. It had 

dragon-like feet. It first brushed the dust off of its black and gray mixed fur, and opened its blood 

red eyes at the three men, staring back in horror. The Minotaur narrowed its eyes, then, from 

behind its back, pulled out a massive club and swung at them, throwing all three into the furthest 

wall in the back. Kei ducked under the stool as everyone else in the bar ran out of the room 

screaming. The beast would have swung for the three men again, but the fact was that the three 

where already down for the count, that and the fact that their was the sound of applause from 

behind him.

"Good show!" the stranger, Drake said, smiling. "I must admit, you're just as powerful as the 

Mistress told me." (6)

The Minotaur/dragon let a growl loose from his throat, before turner to the smaller creature. "The 

Mistress told me that this 'game' that is about to start. The seven players have been chosen, and 

she wanted me to make sure no Mazoku or Dragon would interfere with the 'game...' "

"...I know what you're here for, I've watched and refereed these games since the beginning," 

Drake stated calmly. He looked over to see the cowering Kei behind the stools and kneeled 

beside it. "I apologize for my associate, Kei, Dark Threat is far too big for his own good, but I 

doubt he would hurt any cute female, right Dark?"

"...Cute girl..." DT stated, his face turning light red as he looked down at the serving girl. 

"-ahem!- So I apologize for the mess, Kei..." Drake threw a fairly heavy bag on the countertop. 

"This shall fix all the damages to this place...thanks for the drink!" He turned to walk out, 

pushing the stunned Dark Threat out of the room. "Something tells me you're girl-crazy..."

"...Huh? Wha...?" was all Dark Threat could say as he was being pushed out by the smaller man.

"Nothing." He stood in the street near the bar and waved his hand, making a gold circle above

his head. "From what I can sense right now, three armor-bearers are right next to each other, which means..."

"...The 'game' is about to start already." Dark Threat finished, putting the club behind his back 

again. 

"Riiiigghhtt..." Drake stated, his smile never leaving his face. "Welcome to the games, Dark 

Threat. Welcome! Welcome to the Armor Unlimited..." The gold circle widened to where DT 

was standing, and in a flash, DT was gone. Ever so slowly, Drake followed, his shining teeth 

being the last to disappear. (7) Then the two were gone, far from the town. Away from Kei and her bar, somewhere...

* * * * * *

I only called him giant from there on so I don't have to say his name right away. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it takes time to make tea, the conversation went longer than you expected!! Don't ask about this, just...don't ask... Crometz lost a sword in the Prologue, but he does have another. So... (points and laughs) Ha ha Actually, they're really not that big, it's just that they haven't seen the 'giant,' or any other big guy in there town before. This 'Mistress' may not be revealed for a *long* time. Think of the Cheshire Cat when he disappeared in "Alice in Wonderland." 

Oh, forgot to warn you, there's a bit of F/X, L/G coupling in this, (mostly F/X) so if you don't really like these two couples, then you shouldn't read this from here on out. 

I won't write anymore of this unless I get a number of reviews. Plz, if there are some problems, 

tell me 'nicely.' Kiemra will eat all the ugly comments out there, that or he'll eat the 

commentators. Thank you very much.


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